Nuclear Age Peace Foundation

Author: NAPF Press Office

  • Noam Chomsky Joins NAPF Advisory Council

    Santa Barbara, CA – The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is pleased to announce that Professor Noam Chomsky, arguably the single most influential living scholar in the world today, has joined the Foundation’s Advisory Council.

    Professor Chomsky is a world-renowned political theorist and professor emeritus of linguistics at MIT. He was an early and outspoken critic of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War and has written extensively on many political issues from a progressive perspective. A philosopher, cognitive scientist, logician, political commentator and activist, he is considered an international voice for equality, human rights, abolishing nuclear weapons and peace.

    David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, said, “We are excited to have Professor Chomsky as a member of the Foundation’s Advisory Council. He is one of the world’s wise men. The depth of his knowledge about the complex and varied crises that confront humanity is more than impressive. He is a truth teller to those in power, to other intellectuals and to the people of the world.”

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation was founded in 1982. Its mission is to educate and advocate for peace and a world free of nuclear weapons and to empower peace leaders.

    Other members of the Foundation’s Advisory Council include such luminaries as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Jane Goodall, Queen Noor of Jordan, Daniel Ellsberg, Bianca Jagger and
    The Dalai Lama.

    Professor Chomsky was recently in Santa Barbara to deliver the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s 13th Annual Frank K. Kelly Lecture on Humanity’s Future. His lecture, entitled “Security and State Policy” was delivered to a capacity audience at the Lobero Theatre and also live audio streamed courtesy of KCSB. On that occasion, Professor Chomsky was presented with the Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation was founded in 1982. Its mission is to educate and advocate for peace and a world free of nuclear weapons and to empower peace leaders. The Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with consultative status to the United Nations and is comprised of individuals and groups worldwide who realize the imperative for peace in the Nuclear Age.

  • Noam Chomsky to Deliver 13th Annual Frank K. Kelly Lecture on Humanity’s Future

    Santa Barbara, CA – Noam Chomsky, arguably the single most influential living scholar in the world today, will deliver the 13th Annual Frank K. Kelly Lecture on Humanity’s Future on Friday, February 28, at 7:30 p.m. at the Lobero Theatre in downtown Santa Barbara.

    Professor Chomsky’s lecture is entitled “Security and State Policy.”

    A philosopher, cognitive scientist, logician, political commentator and activist, Professor Chomsky was an early and outspoken critic of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War and has written extensively on many political issues from a progressive perspective. He contends that our world faces two potentially existential threats: the continued threat of nuclear war and the crisis of ecological, environmental catastrophe.

    Before Chomsky’s lecture, David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, will present Professor Chomsky with the Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Peace Leadership. Said Krieger, “We’re proud to present this award to Noam Chomsky. He is a truth-teller in the tradition of Socrates, being a gadfly to those who would threaten our common future with their greed and arrogance. We couldn’t have a more deserving recipient who epitomizes the essential spirit of both this award and of the Kelly Lecture series.”

    The Annual Frank K. Kelly Lecture on Humanity’s Future was established by the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation in 2001. Frank K. Kelly was a founder and senior vice president of the Foundation. His career included being a journalist, a soldier, a Neiman Fellow, a speechwriter for President Truman, assistant to the U.S. Senate Majority Leader, and vice president of the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions.

    The event is sold out. However, the lecture will be live audio streamed courtesy of KCSB. In Santa Barbara, tune in to 91.9 FM, or listen online from anywhere in the world at kcsb.org.
    For more information visit www.wagingpeace.org or call (805) 965-3443.

  • 2013 Peace Poetry Award Winners Announced

    Santa Barbara, CA (October 29, 2013) – The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is pleased to announce the winners of the 2013 Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Awards. Married to Frank King Kelly, one of the founders of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, Barbara Mandigo Kelly was a poet, pianist and peace advocate. Since 1995, the Foundation has made an annual series of awards to encourage poets to explore and illuminate positive visions of peace and the human spirit. The poetry awards are offered in three categories: Adult; Youth (13 to 18); and Youth (12 and under).

    In the Adult category, Yuko Taniguchi was awarded First Place for her poem “A Child Hibakusha – Hiroshima 1947.” Ms. Taniguchi is the instructor of writing in the Center for Learning Innovation at the University of Minnesota Rochester. She also has conducted creative writing workshops for the Mayo Medical School, as well as the Mayo Foundation’s Cancer Center, as part of the Creative Renewal Series since 2004. Her first volume of poetry, Foreign Wife Elegy, and her first novel, The Ocean in the Closet, were both published by Coffee House Press. She is currently completing a collection of poetry, While the Earth Moves its Spine, which explores the recent earthquake and tsunami disaster in Northeastern Japan.

    An Honorable Mention in the Adult category was awarded to Shawn Pittard from Sacramento, California for his poem “Morning’s Long Argument of Crows.” Mr. Pittard is a poet, screenwriter, and teaching artist. He is the author of two volumes of poetry, one of which, Standing in the River, was the winner of Tebot Bach’s 2010 Clockwise Chapbook Competition.

    A second Honorable Mention in the Adult category was awarded to Aubrey Ryan for “Floodlings.” Ms. Ryan is the Collins Writer in Residence for the Midwest Writing Center and the poetry editor of Sundog Lit. Her work has appeared in Best New Poets, Anti-, Squat Birth Journal, DIAGRAM, Phantom Limb, Quarterly West, and elsewhere. She lives in Iowa with her husband and young son.

    First Place in the Youth (13 to 18) category was awarded to Hayun Cho for her poem “A Necessary Poetry.” Ms. Cho is a freshman at Yale University and aspires to major in English or Literature. Her home town is Wilmette, Illinois.

    An Honorable Mention in the Youth (13 to 18) category was awarded to Leila Grant from Chappaqua, New York for her poem “Trust in Peace.” Ms. Grant enjoys performing circus acts, playing tennis and piano, watching movies and reading. She loves to travel to new places.

    In the Youth (12 and under) category, First Place was awarded to Pratyush Muthukumar from Cerritos, California for his poem “Reach Out.” In addition to writing poetry, his interests include painting, learning Chinese, building robots and running. He attends Frank C. Leal Elementary School.

    For more information, including the other First Place and Honorable Mention poems in their entirety, previous years’ winners and the 2013 Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Awards Guidelines, click here or contact the Foundation at (805) 965-3443.

  • U.S. to Launch Nuclear Missile As 124 Nations Highlight Catastrophic Humanitarian Consequences of Nuclear Weapons

    The United States Air Force has scheduled a test launch of a Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile for the early hours of Wednesday, October 23. This test follows two similar Minuteman III tests on September 22 and 26. The Minuteman III missiles are based in silos in the central United States. The missiles are constantly on high alert, ready to be fired within minutes of an order. Each missile carries a nuclear warhead many times more powerful than the bombs that destroyed the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

    Wednesday’s test will send a Minuteman III missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base on the central coast of California to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

    Rick Wayman, NAPF’s Director of Programs, criticized the U.S. government for its continued testing of nuclear weapon delivery vehicles. He said, “Continued testing of land-based nuclear missiles by the United States sends a very clear message to the rest of the world: ‘We have the power to annihilate any city on Earth within minutes, and we plan to continue our reliance on nuclear weapons indefinitely’.”

    On Monday, 124 nations at the United Nations General Assembly signed a statement highlighting the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons. The statement read, in part, “It is in the interest of the very survival of humanity that nuclear weapons are never used again, under any circumstances….The only way to guarantee that nuclear weapons will never be used again is through their total elimination.

    Wayman said, “Wednesday’s nuclear missile test flies in the face of the opinion of the majority of the world’s governments and people. If nuclear weapons are used again in war, the consequences will be grave for all of humanity. This test is nothing but a practice run for actual use. There is a clear path forward for banning and eliminating all nuclear weapons worldwide. That path does not include continued testing of nuclear-capable missiles.”

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    For further information, contact Rick Wayman at rrwayman@napf.org or (805) 696-5159.

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation — The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s mission is to educate and advocate for peace and a world free of nuclear weapons and to empower peace leaders.  Founded in 1982, the Foundation is comprised of individuals and organizations worldwide who realize the imperative for peace in the Nuclear Age. The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with consultative status to the United Nations.  For more information, visit www.wagingpeace.org.

  • Sadako Peace Day: planting Hiroshima survivor sapling

    Santa Barbara, CA – The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF) will host the 19th Annual Sadako Peace Day to remember the victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and all innocent victims of war. The event will be held August 6, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., under the beautiful oaks and eucalyptus trees in the Sadako Peace Garden at La Casa de Maria Retreat Center, 800 El Bosque Road, in Montecito.

    This year’s program will include the planting of a Gingko biloba sapling, grown from one of Hiroshima’s atomic bombing survivor trees. The sapling will be brought from Hiroshima to Santa Barbara by Nassrine Azimi, Co-Founder of Green Legacy Hiroshima, a non-profit organization dedicated to spreading world-wide the seeds and saplings of Hiroshima survivor trees. It is the first of its kind to be planted anywhere in the United States.

    There will be music, poetry and reflections commemorating the story of Sadako Sasaki, a young girl from Hiroshima who died of radiation-induced leukemia as a result of the atomic bombing. Japanese legend holds that one’s wish will be granted upon folding 1000 paper cranes. Sadako set out to fold those 1,000 paper cranes. On the wings of one she wrote, “I will write peace on your wings, and you will fly all over the world.” Sadly, Sadako died without regaining her health. Students in Japan were so moved by her story they began folding paper cranes, too. Today the paper crane is an international symbol of peace. And a statue of Sadako now stands in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

    The event is a time to reflect on the past in order to build a more peaceful future. This year’s keynote speaker will be Dr. Robert Dodge, long-time peace activist and co-chairman of Citizens for Peaceful Resolutions. He is a NAPF board member, and a frequent speaker about nuclear security.

    There will also be a paper crane folding workshop by Peace Crane Project and refreshments after the ceremony. The event is free and open to the public.

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    For further information, contact Sandy Jones at sjones@napf.org or (805) 965-3443.

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation — The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s mission is to educate and advocate for peace and a world free of nuclear weapons and to empower peace leaders.  Founded in 1982, the Foundation is comprised of individuals and organizations worldwide who realize the imperative for peace in the Nuclear Age. The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with consultative status to the United Nations.  For more information, visit www.wagingpeace.org.

  • Once again, Vandenberg set to Launch Another Nuclear-Capable Missile

    Santa Barbara, CA — On July 27, 2011, the United States plans to launch a Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to a target in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. This test closely follows a similar test from Vandenberg on June 22.

    The test comes just two weeks before the 66th anniversary of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It is a reminder of the United States’ continued reliance on nuclear weapons in spite of proclamations by the Obama administration of the goal of a nuclear weapons-free world.

    Each test costs tens of millions of dollars. In addition to the budgetary implications, such tests result in serious international relations problems.

    David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, stated that the ongoing US testing program is provocative and stimulates other countries to improve or develop nuclear weapons and conduct their own tests. He said, “The continued testing of Minuteman III nuclear missiles is a clear example of US double standards. The government believes that it is fine to test-fire these missiles time and again, while expressing criticism when other countries conduct missile tests. Such double standards encourage nuclear proliferation and make the world a more dangerous place.”

    Krieger also commended the nonviolent protestors who have been holding vigils against such tests outside of the Vandenberg AFB gates. There is a protest planned for 11:45 pm on Tuesday, July 26, just hours before the scheduled launch in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

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    For further comment, contact Rick Wayman, Director of Programs of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, at rwayman@napf.org or (805) 965-3443.  Outside of regular office hours, please contact Rick Wayman at (805) 696-5159.

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation — The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s mission is to educate and advocate for peace and a world free of nuclear weapons and to empower peace leaders.  Founded in 1982, the Foundation is comprised of individuals and organizations worldwide who realize the imperative for peace in the Nuclear Age. The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with consultative status to the United Nations.  For more information, visit www.wagingpeace.org.

  • Vandenberg to Launch Yet Another Nuclear-Capable Missile

    Santa Barbara, CA — On July 27, 2013, the United States plans to launch a Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to a target in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. This test closely follows a similar test from Vandenberg on June 22.

    The test comes just two weeks before the 66th anniversary of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It is a reminder of the United States’ continued reliance on nuclear weapons in spite of proclamations by the Obama administration of the goal of a nuclear weapons-free world.

    Each test costs tens of millions of dollars. In addition to the budgetary implications, such tests result in serious international relations problems.

    David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, stated that the ongoing US testing program is provocative and stimulates other countries to improve or develop nuclear weapons and conduct their own tests. He said, “The continued testing of Minuteman III nuclear missiles is a clear example of US double standards. The government believes that it is fine to test-fire these missiles time and again, while expressing criticism when other countries conduct missile tests. Such double standards encourage nuclear proliferation and make the world a more dangerous place.”

    Krieger also commended the nonviolent protestors who have been holding vigils against such tests outside of the Vandenberg AFB gates. There is a protest planned for 11:45 pm on Tuesday, July 26, just hours before the scheduled launch in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

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    For further comment, contact Rick Wayman, Director of Programs of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, at rwayman@napf.org or (805) 965-3443.  Outside of regular office hours, please contact Rick Wayman at (805) 696-5159.

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation — The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s mission is to educate and advocate for peace and a world free of nuclear weapons and to empower peace leaders.  Founded in 1982, the Foundation is comprised of individuals and organizations worldwide who realize the imperative for peace in the Nuclear Age. The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with consultative status to the United Nations.  For more information, visit www.wagingpeace.org.

  • 5th Graders Have Much to Teach

    Santa Barbara, CA – When the winners of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation‘s 2013 Swackhamer Disarmament Video Contest were recently announced, the 5th grade students from the Osaka, Japan YMCA International School didn’t take home the Grand Prize. They did, however, win over many hearts.

    In fact, the 5th graders took Second Prize and received $300 for their video in which the students are seen on camera, describing their world as if there had been a nuclear attack. They relate scenes of horrific destruction and feelings of terrible loss. Their video then turns the corner toward hope, with the students pleading, “Don’t let this be the story of my future. We must abolish nuclear weapons in my lifetime.”

    While their piece is truly provocative, perhaps what’s most impressive is not the video itself, but what the 5th graders decided to do with their prize money. According to their teacher, Junlah Madalinkski, the students divided their prize money among three organizations; Green Legacy Hiroshima, a UNITAR initiative that is promoting peace through spreading worldwide the seeds and saplings of the trees that survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima; Tsumugi, an after-school center that supports the children evacuees of Fukushima who have resettled in the Kansai region; and an animal shelter that is working to save the abandoned animals of Fukushima.

    Rick Wayman, NAPF Director of Operations and head of the judging committee for the Swackhamer Contest commented, “Each year, people of all ages, from all over the world, create videos about issues related to nuclear abolition. The best videos are those that touch someone’s heart or awaken someone to new ways of thinking. In this case, not only did the Osaka 5th graders create an emotional video, but the way in which they donated their prize money was equally touching. We can all learn from this thoughtful group of 5th graders.”

    This year’s Grand Prize winner of the Swackhamer Video Contest was Cecilia Gallagher with her engaging and imaginative video entitled A Bright World With a Dark Future. Third Prize went to Ryan Cheng for his work entitled The Abolition of Nuclear Weapons. Honorable mentions went to Nathan Ko for They Never Told You and Sarah Momen for We Can Make the World Stop. All of the videos may be viewed on the NAPF website at www.wagingpeace.org or on Youtube at www.youtube.com/user/Swackhamer2013.

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    For further comment, contact Rick Wayman at rwayman@napf.org or Sandy Jones at sjones@napf.org or call (805) 965-3443.

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation — The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s mission is to educate and advocate for peace and a world free of nuclear weapons and to empower peace leaders.  Founded in 1982, the Foundation is comprised of individuals and organizations worldwide who realize the imperative for peace in the Nuclear Age. The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with consultative status to the United Nations.  For more information, visit www.wagingpeace.org.

  • Hiroshima: City of Hope II

    Santa Barbara, CA – David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF), recently returned from Hiroshima, Japan where he gave the keynote address at an international peace symposium entitled “Toward a Nuclear-Free World: Spreading Hiorshima’s Message.” The symposium marked the fifth anniversary of the Hiroshima Peace Media Center.

    Dr. Krieger has been to Hiroshima on many occasions in the past. “This city is a special place, made sacred by the pain, suffering, forgiveness and perseverance of the survivors of the atomic bomb. I wish to tell the hibakusha (surviving victims of the atomic bombings) that their efforts and messages matter and that their words and deeds have touched people’s hearts throughout the world, including my own.”

    A transcript of Dr. Krieger’s speech can be found on the Foundation’s website, www.wagingpeace.org.

  • Hiroshima: City of Hope

    David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF), will give the keynote address at an international peace symposium to be held in Hiroshima, Japan, on May 25. This event is organized by Chugoku Shimbun to commemorate the 5th Anniversary of the Hiroshima Peace Media Center. The symposium is entitled “Toward a Nuclear-Free World: Spreading Hiorshima’s Message.”

    Mr. Krieger has been to Hiroshima on many occasions in the past. “This city is a special place, made sacred by the pain, suffering, forgiveness and perseverance of the survivors of the atomic bomb. I consider it an honor to be invited to speak here. I am truly humbled,” said Krieger.

    He continued, “In my speech, entitled, ‘Hiroshima: City of Hope,’ I wish to tell the hibakusha (surviving victims of the atomic bombings) that their efforts and messages matter and that their words and deeds have touched people’s hearts throughout the world, including my own.”

    Mr. Krieger’s keynote address at the symposium is one of many continuing efforts by The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation to build momentum throughout the world towards the abolition of nuclear weapons. According to Krieger, “It’s critically important that no other city or country will ever suffer the same experiences and devastation caused by nuclear weapons such as those used at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, or the far more powerful weapons that exist today.”

    While in Hiroshima, Mr. Krieger will meet with Tadatoshi Akiba, the former Mayor of Hiroshima and current Chairman of the Middle Powers Initiative (MPI). Through the MPI, eight international non-governmental organizations, including the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, are able to work with middle power governments to encourage the nuclear weapons states to take immediate, practical steps that reduce nuclear dangers, and commence negotiations to eliminate nuclear weapons.

    Mr. Krieger will also meet with Ambassador Yasuyoshi Komizo, the new Director of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation. In a recent speech, Amabassador Komizo expressed his belief that a nuclear free world would require a new and reliable security framework based on a sense of community on a global scale and built upon mutual trust between people, replacing the current system of nuclear deterrence based on a reality of distrust and built upon the threat of nuclear weapons.

    Mr. Krieger will stress that “The hibakusha have returned from that place of horror with hope in their hearts. By their willingness to forgive and by their constant efforts to end the nuclear weapons era, they have nurtured hope and kept it alive for all these years. It will soon be up to the next generations to carry on working for a world free of nuclear weapons in the spirit of the hibakusha.”

    A transcript of Mr. Krieger’s speech can be found here.